Maiden of Light
by YamiChaos27
Summary: Torine Uzumaki-Hyuuga, daughter of Naruto and Hinata, is a young kind-hearted kunoichi with a hidden power that'll make her a light of hope. But every light has a dark counterpart. Together with her friends, Daichi Uchiha and Ichigo Tenshou, she will have to face a terrible darkness in the shinobi world. 20 years after Fourth Shinobi War; Hokage Naruto; NaruHina family.
1. The Light Emerges

**A/N My first Naruto fic. New generation, new powers, new enemies, the works. Here's the prologue.**

* * *

**The Light Emerges**

* * *

Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village, is on high alert tonight. Every Jonin and ANBU available are running around frantically. There search all over the village was going nowhere. On top of the Hokage Mansion stood a young man in his twenties, with spiky blond hair, ocean blue eyes, and birthmarks on his cheeks that look like whiskers. He wore horned forehead protector with a leave symbol, an orange sweater with a red spiral at the chest, black pants, and red trench coat with black flames and read Sixth Hokage on the back. This man was overseeing the search, and boy did he look pissed off.

Soon, one of the Leaf ANBU leap to the blond's side. He had raven hair that spiked at the back, wore the typical ANBU gear, and a bird-like mask covering his face. The ninja kneeled had said, "Lord Hokage."

Without even looking, the blond Hokage responded, "Captain Hawk?"

"We've done a thorough search of the village, and there's no sign of them. However, the guards at the south gate have been taken out. I have a couple of ANBU teams, including Hound, there on standby awaiting orders."

The Hokage turned to Hawk and shouted, "Get out there and search the areas beyond that gate! And get as many ANBU and Jonin as you can out there immediately!"

"Yes sir!" Hawk stood up and turned to leave.

"Please! Find them!" the Hokage said in a soft but desperate tone.

Hawk nodded. "Don't worry. I will," he said as he disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves, leaving the Hokage to slam his fist onto the railing, heavily bending it downward.

* * *

Meanwhile, a group of five ninja bandits all covered in black were leaping through the trees. Two of them were each holding something wrapped in a white towel.

"Hahaha!" one of the ninja laughed. "We did it!"

"And all we had to do was wait till they were isolated for cleaning! And they were easy prey!"

"Once we get back, the ceremony can begin!"

"Less talking, more running!" said one the ninja with a wrapped towel. "You want the Leaf Shinobi to catch us."

However, the other ninja with a wrapped towel, the only kunoichi of the group, had a different idea. Without warning, she took a kunai and threw it into one of the bandit's neck, killing him within seconds. The other ninja noticed right away.

"What are you doing!?" one of the shinobi shouted, only to for the kunoichi to pull out a ninjaken sword and slice the speaker's arm clean off and then his head.

The attacker then drove her sword into the third one's chest, and then shove him away. Three down, one to go. She pointed her sword at the last one, who was holding the other wrapped towel.

"I never expected you to be a traitor," he said.

The kuniochi removed her mask, revealing emerald-green hair and violet eyes with gold crosses in place of pupils. "I'm not the traitor here," she said, "You are! And so are the others, including our new leader, who has corrupted the purpose of our organization!"

The shinobi just laughed. "When an organization's leader changes, so too does it's policies. Besides, that outdated purpose is just so diminishing. We have the power, why not use it?!"

"Our duty was to keep that power from falling into the wrong hands. I refuse to follow such heinous ambitions. These children are going back to the Leaf. This ends now!"

"Just try it!" The shinobi said as he pull out a kunai, which starts glowing an yellowish-orange. **"Plasma Style: Plasma Whip!"** he shout as an yellowish-orange fluctuating energy sprouts out of the kunai's tip, forming the shape of a long constantly bending whip, surprising the kunoichi. The shinobi began lashing his Plasma Whip, burning and tearing down the branches of the trees.

The 'traitor' could only dodge, she couldn't think of a way to fight back without risking harm to the child in her arm or the child in her opponents arm. Soon she decided to flee.

Unfortunately the bandit then turn his Plasma Whip into a sphere of energy. **"Plasma Style: Plasma Blast!"** The sphere flew towards the kunoichi and as it impacted the ground near her, the energy exploded, decimating the land around with a kilometer radius. The bandit, who leapt out of the range, watched the explosion. "There goes the other child," he said and looked at the one in his arms. "Oh well, at least we claimed one of them for the cause." He then took off.

* * *

The kunoichi lay on the ground, cuddling the towel wrapped child protectively. She was cover in burns and cuts. Half of her body was buried under a fallen tree. She was weak. She used what strength she could muster and unwrapped the towel, revealing the infant, who was crying loudly. It had mostly red hair with a patch of dark blue in the front left. It's eyes were pale lavender and pupil-less. Amazingly, while the towel was somewhat damaged, no harm came to the baby. She looked at the child with a smile. "Hush little one," she said weakly but sweetly, "everything's going to be alright." She placed her finger on the child's forehead, who soon fell asleep. "I'm sorry, little miss. I couldn't save your brother..." She pulled out a glowing gold crystal from her vest. "But as long as you are safe, there's still hope for this world."

* * *

Hawk's ANBU team of four was search all over the place. They saw the plasma explosion and headed toward it. Before they could get close, however, something strange happened that stopped them in their tracks. A bright gold light enveloped the site. Rising out of the trees, the light took on a giant humanoid silhouette with long hair and six feathered wings.

This mysterious being could be seen all the way back from the Konoha's south gate, where the Hokage stared in awe at the sight. After an electric surge occurred at the below, the being of light shrank back into the trees and disappeared.

The ANBU quickly continue towards the vicinity and met up with another ANBU team, led by Hound, the one with a spiky brunette hair and a dog mask as well as a large white dog companion, who saw the light. Soon they could here a baby's cry. Following that cry, they searched through the wreckage of trees until they found it. Hawk removed his mask, revealing red eyes with three tomoes encircling the pupil, looking over the child. He noticed something strange. There was a mark on the child's stomach. At the center was a four pointed star with the bottom corner slightly longer. Surrounding the star with a little space was a downward arch that looks like it was meant to resemble a pair of wing, almost closes at the top except for an inch of space. It was nothing like they have ever seen before. Soon that mark disappears.

"Captain Hawk!" one of the ANBU agents said. Hawk looked toward the speaker and his attention was caught by an emerald hair woman lying partly buried under a fallen tree. The was also a gray steaming crystal lying next to her. The ANBU check her for vitals. "This woman is dead sir."

"Just what happened here?" Hawk asked himself. He then turned on his neck radio. "This is Captain Hawk of the ANBU Black Ops. One of the children has been secured, I repeat one of the children has been secured." He turned off the radio and picked up the infant. "I'll take the child back to the village. Hound, you're in charge here, I want a few men searching this clearing for anything suspicious and bring back anything or anyone you find, and the rest continue searching south until you reach the border." With that, Hawk took off.

* * *

The Hokage was waiting on top of the South Gate, gazing out toward the horizon. Soon Hawk arrived and gave the child to him. He looked at the sleeping baby with great relief. "Torine," he said. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"She seems to be alright," Hawk said.

"And Torimaru?"

"We're still searching for him."

The Hokage looked down at the baby girl and then back out at the horizon. "Did you see that strange light that seemed to come out of nowhere?"

"Yes," Hawk answered. "We actually arrived at where it appeared when we found her. While I was there, we found the dead body of a kunoichi right next to her, with a hot gray stone." He then formed a one-handed tiger sign. "And there is something you need to see." He place his hand sign above the child's stomach, and the mark he saw earlier reappeared.

The Hokage was surprised. "What is this? Some kind of sealing jutsu?"

"It would seem so."

"This is nothing like the one I used to have."

"You think that light may have something to do with it."

"Maybe. But... what could this mean?"

"I did feel some kind of illuminating chakra coming from it when it appeared. It felt similar to that of the Tailed Beasts, and yet not exactly the same, it was much more, for lack of a better word,... soothing."

"Now that you mention it, I do sense a very usual chakra within her." The Hokage thought for a second, then said, "Until we know what this is, we should keep a lid on it. This to be a S class secret. Absolutely no one is to know about it without my permission." He looked at the baby with worry. "If word about this got out, odds are she might receive a similar prejudice as I did as a kid."

"I understand." Hawk said as turned around ready to leave. "I'll go and rejoin the search. I suggest you return the kid to her mother. She must be worried sick."

The Hokage sighed, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks... Sasuke."

"No problem... Naruto."

* * *

In the Leaf Hospital, a young woman in her twenties with long dark blue hair wearing a hospital gown sat in bed. Her mouth hung open. Her hands clutched her legs, arms shaking. She was so tense and worried. With her was a nurse with pink hair and emerald eyes, rubbing her back, trying to comfort her.

Soon, she heard the window open. Someone stepping in and then said, "Hinata."

She looked up and her pale lavender eyes met a pair ocean blue eyes. It was the Hokage. "Naruto," she said softly. Naruto walked up to her and gave her the baby girl. As she held her in her arms, Hinata looked at the child with great relief. "Torine," she said as her eyes began to tear up. "Thank Kami, she's alright!"

Naruto then turned to the nurse. "Sakura?"

"Right," the nurse answered as she began to gather medical chakra in her palm, a placed it over the baby. After a few seconds, she said, "Good, she's still healthy."

Hinata then gave a Naruto a concerned look. "And... Torimaru?" she asked.

The Hokage shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid they're still searching for him."

Hinata looked down in sadness. She held her newborn daughter, Torine, very close, and started crying. Naruto then sat beside her and held Hinata and Torine in a warm embrace.

* * *

**A/N: And that concludes the prologue. I hope you liked it. **

**If you're wondering about the Plasma style, it's a new nature style I made up myself, that combines the fire and lightning natures. Trust me, this won't be the last you see of it.**

**Please review, some insight might help, and I'm open to any suggestions.**


	2. Team 1

**A/N Okay, now the main story can begin. First a shout out:**

** TheOneSage: Thank you for being the first to review this story. As for other nature combos besides Fire and Lightning to make Plasma Style; I can't make any promises but I'll see what I can do, though I do plan on introducing a few new bloodlines of other types. And to answer your question, Torine and her team are the primary focus of this story, though I do plan on giving older characters, like Naruto for example, some well deserved focus at certain points.**

**Without further ado, lets introduce our main team, shall we?**

* * *

**Team 1**

* * *

"Okay, Team 1. Now, find a spot, sit down, shut up, and listen. Thank you!"

A squad of new genin candidates arrived at the roof of the academy, where their jonin sensei awaited. The jonin sensei had spiky brown hair, black eyes, wore a pale green sweater under a Leaf Flack Jacket, black pants, black sandals, a blue forehead protector, and a long blue scarf around his neck.

"Alright, let's start this off with some introductions, shall we?" the sensei said as he sat down. "When I call on you, I want you to tell me a little bit about yourself; your name, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, goals in life, things like that. Is that understood?" The genin candidates nodded. "Okay. Since I'm the sensei here, I'll go first." He clears his throat and smiles. "My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi, grandson of the Third Hokage and apprentice to the Sixth. I like ramen, strong opponents, and people with high spirits that never give up on their dreams. I don't like being called the 'Honorable Grandson', and people who take others for granted. My hobbies include training and watching others train. And my goal is to surpass my master and one day take the title of Hokage. Okay who next? Hmmm... Let's start from the right. You first, kid."

"O-okay." said the first kid. He had short raven hair and onyx eyes. He wore a dark green t-shirt with a high collar and the crest of a certain clan on the back, white shorts, a black wrist band on his right arm, and blue sandals. He wore a blue forehead protector.

"Um," he said nervously. "M-my name is D-Daichi Uchiha, second born of Sasuke Uchiha. I-I like seafood, my friends, and people who never give up know matter how hard something is. I don't like people who talk down on others. M-my hobbies are training and hanging out with my best friends." He said looking toward the girl of the group. "M-my goal is... to help restore my clan to it's former glory, and also to... s-surpass a certain s-someone."

_Well he seems rather timid for an Uchiha,_ thought Konohamaru. _I guess we'll just see what he's got._ He then turned to the next student. "Okay, you with the sword on your back, you're next."

The next student had spiky emerald-green hair, and violet eyes. He wore a brown kimono-style shirt, a leather gauntlet with a steel plate on his left arm, a black fingerless glove on his right hand, beige baggy pants, and black sandals. He wore a red forehead protector around his waist. A ninjaken sword with a red sheath was strapped to his back.

"My name is Ichigo Tenshou," he said calmly. "My father and I moved here from the Hidden Mountain Village a few years ago. I like honor, respect, and strong will. I hate tyrants, and I especially hate traitors to a noble cause. My hobbies include training with swords and reading books. My goal is..." He pause for a brief moment. "...to fulfill a family obligation."

_He's an interesting one,_ thought the sensei. _I can't seem to read him. Can't wait to see what kind of shinobi the Mountain gave us._ He then turned to the girl. "Alright, princess, your turn."

The girl had mostly red-head with a patch of dark blue at the front left, tied into two short ponytails, except her bangs which was a leveled hime-cut style with chin-length strands framing her face. Her eyes were pale lavender and pupil-less. She wore a small white top under an open yellow vest with a yin-yang symbol on the back, exposing her navel, gold bracelets on her right arm, black shorts under a lavender miniskirt, and black sandals. She wore a white forehead protector around her neck. The girl sprang up from her seat and struck a pose; putting her left arm on her hip, making a sideways peace sign with her right hand in front of her eye, and winking her left eye.

"My name is Torine Hyuuga," she said, "Uzumaki-Hyuuga that is, heiress to the Hyuuga clan, and daughter of the Sixth Hokage. I like ramen, cinnamon buns, friends, and the smiles on people's faces. I don't like all that formal stuff, and I certainly don't like people who treat others like trash. My hobbies are training, eating at Ichiraku's, and more importantly hanging with my best friends Daichi and Ichigo." Daichi blushed at this. "I can't say I have a particular goal in mind just yet, but I plan to become the very best ninja I can be; one who strong like my father and kind like my mother."

_Well, there's a spirited girl right there._ Konohamaru chuckled in his mind. _Of course, I know just who she gets it from._ "I'm surprised you acknowledged your being the Hokage's daughter," he said "Isn't that suppose to be a secret?"

"Well, Papa said I can tell only the people I truly trust," Torine explained. "I already told these two about it since we're best friends and all, and since you're Papa's apprentice, I figured you already knew anyways."

Konohamaru chuckled. "Well, you got me there." He then stood up. "Okay now that we got that out of the way, I'm gonna give it to you straight. Just because you've received your headbands and been placed onto a team does not mean you've official become genin."

The group was surprised. "Wh-what do you mean, K-Konohamaru-sensei?" asked Daichi.

"I mean you've only been selected as candidates to becoming genin. Now that you're all a team, the true test can begin. A pass or fail survival test in which there is an approximately seventy percent of you failing."

"Seventy percent chance... of failing?" asked Torine.

"That's right! Out the thirty students that passed this year's exam, only nine will be allowed to move on as genin. The rest will be sent back to the academy. This is to ensure that only the most exceptional students become Leaf ninja." Torine and Daichi both looked worried. Ichigo however kept a calm poise, and unnoticed by everyone else, a pair of gold crosses briefly appeared in his violet eyes. "Okay then, meet me at Training Ground 23 tomorrow at 7AM sharp. Don't be late!" the sensei said as he vanished in a whirlwind of leaves.

* * *

Later Team 1 stopped at the Ramen Ichiraku stand for lunch. There they find the new owner Ayame, daughter of the previous owner Teuchi. "Well, if it isn't Torine." she said. "Hows my favorite customer, next to your father?"

"I'm doing great," said Torine. "I just got onto a team with Daichi and Ichigo here."

"Really? So your about to do some missions of your own, I see."

"Not quite," said Daichi. "We have to pass a survival test first."

"Oh. Well then, I wish you three good luck on that. I'm sure the daughter of the Hokage will pass with no problem!" Ayame said loudly.

"Shh." Torine hushed her. "Not so loud."

"Oh sorry," Ayame apologized, "I forgot that's suppose to be a secret." She got out a paper slip and pen. "So what'll it be? The usual?"

"Yep. Miso ramen, with ground pork, boiled eggs and bean sprouts, please."

"I-I'll have some Shio ramen, with corn, and extra fish and seaweed, please" said Daichi

"And I'll take a hot Tsukemen dish, with extra garlic seasoning." said Ichigo.

"Okay, coming right up." Ayame said as she got started preparing their dishes. "Hey, uh remind me again why that is secret."

"There's more than one reason actually." Torine explained. "The most prominent reason being that the majority of the Hyuuga elders didn't approve of Mom marrying someone like Papa. To be honest, Mom's pregnancy with me was kind of unplanned. My parent's never publicly married. They had a more private marriage that only few people know about. Thus, while most everyone know who my mother is, few people know who my father is; and the fewer the better." She then sighed. "The majority of the Hyuuga clan give me so much respect. The elders however, not so much. The only elder that respects me is Grandpa Hiashi. The others, due to me having an unknown father, although they probably have their suspicions, tend to call me an illegitimate heir."

"How awful!" Ayame exclaimed. "Illegitimate my foot!" Soon, each of their orders were done. "Here you three are."

The trio dug in. After a few slurps Torine continued. "There are other reasons for the secret. Like the fact that Papa is Hokage and Mom is a Clan Head."

"I can see where that could be a problem," Ichigo chimed in. "If their marriage was made official, your father can easily be accused of favoritism over the Hyuuga during council meetings, and lose credibility as a result."

"Exactly," Torine said taking another slurp. "And neither of my parents want to risk that happening."

"Sounds like being Hokage is more complicated than one would expect," said Ayame.

"Indeed," Torine took another slurp. "There is one more reason. Despite Papa bringing peace to the Five Great Nations, he still has some enemies. And if they knew I was his daughter, they could make me their target. So it's for my own protection as well."

"Enemies?" asked Daichi. "What kind of enemies?"

Torine shrugged. "I don't know. I guess there are still some smaller nations that haven't made peace with us. Also there are still some rogue ninja on the loose."

"Not to mention there's that mysterious new nation that has recently made itself known, the Land of Darkness, and within it, the Hidden Shadow Village." Ichigo added.

"Man," said Daichi shuddering. "Just those names give me a bad feeling."

The trio took a more few slurps, actually Torine finished her bowl. "More, please."

"Certainly," Ayame said and put other batch of noodles in Torine's bowl. "It must be hard, keeping such an honor a secret."

Torine smiled. "Not really." She took another slurp. "I'm actually kind of glad it's a secret. I don't want to be treated differently because I'm the Hokage's daughter. I get enough of that formal junk for being the Hyuuga heiress. I like my life the way it is. Other than wishing the Elders were nicer, I wouldn't want it any other way."

The Daichi and Ichigo were nearly finished with their meals. "You really think we'll pass the survival test?" asked Daichi.

"Of course," said Torine. "We're strong. We can do it."

"But we have a seventy percent chance of failing, and only nine of us will be accepted. What if we mess up?"

"Getting cold feet won't help us pass," said Ichigo.

"I know but..." Daichi tried to say but was cut off.

"Come on, Daichi." Torine said. "My mom always taught me that you'll never get anywhere if don't believe in yourself, and those around you. Isn't that what I've always told you?"

Daichi blushed. "Y-yes. O-okay."

Torine smiled, but wouldn't admit that she was kind of nervous herself.

* * *

After the trio finished their meal (after Torine's fifth bowl), the trio parted ways and returned home. Torine arrived at the Hyuuga compound, where she was greeted by the guards with a typical "Welcome back, Lady Torine." She wandered around the compound until she reached the Main House's gardens, where a certain dark-blue-haired woman in the traditional Hyuuga garb sat basking in the peacefulness.

"Hey, Mom! I'm home!" Torine greeted.

Hinata turned her head and smiled. "Welcome home, Torine," she said as her daughter sat right next to her. "So how did it go?"

"I'm on Team 1, Mom," Torine said, "with Daichi and Ichigo."

"Really? Sounds like you've got a team you can get along with."

"Yep. And my sensei is Papa's apprentice, Konohamaru."

"I see. I guess your father wanted you have a sensei he can trust."

"Now we just have to pass the survival test and we'll become official genin."

"Well, good luck with that. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Torine then gave her mother a nervous smile. "Do you think you could give me a few pointers on it?"

Hinata hesitated to anwser. "Well, the method of the test varies on the sensei, but the main purpose of it is the same."

"Really? What's that?"

Hinata giggled. "Well, I can't really tell you; that would defeat the purpose."

"Aww!" Torine complained.

"But I can tell you this: If you really want to pass, don't think about just yourself."

"What kind of hint is that?"

"That's all I can tell you. But don't worry. I know you can do it. Your father and I both believe in you." Hinata said with a smile. "And even if you don't pass, there's always next time. Just do your best. And no matter what happens, we'll always love you."

Torine sighed, but then smiled, "You right! I promise I'll do the very best I can!"

* * *

**A/N: And that's the introduction to the main characters. Hope you like it. Next time will be the Survival Test. **

**Again, please review, some insight might help, and I'm open to suggestions.**


	3. Survival Test

**A/N: Boy, coming up with something in your head is one thing, putting it in on paper(or in a computer) is a something else, and can be hard to do sometimes. Now then, Shout out:**

**UltimateUnknown Ch1: First statement,...no comment. The identity of the kunoichi will be revealed in time, but you may find some clues along the way. Yeah, I could have had Naruto search for them instead of the ANBU, but I thought I'd have him be a little more responsible as Hokage. And I didn't intend him to seem that calm. Again since he's Hokage, you could say he was trying hide his anger and anxiety(and I guess failed at portraying him failing at that).**

**" " Ch2: Yeah, expect to see some names taken from other anime/manga. I guess you could say Ichigo is a samurai-type character, but he is basically just a kenjutsu(sword jutsu) specialist. Don't worry, there will be a family moment coming soon.**

* * *

**Survival Test**

* * *

7AM, Torine Uzumaki-Hyuuga, Daichi Uchiha, and Ichigo Tenshou have arrived at Training Ground 23, which like most of the other training grounds had three wooden cylinder stakes embedded in the ground, a creek, and was surrounded by a large multitude of trees. They were ready to take their survival test in order to become full-fledged genin. However their sensei, Konohamaru Sarutobi, has not arrived. They waited and waited for about an hour. They were bored out of minds

Daichi sighed. "Sensei is late. What could be taking him so long?"

Ichigo was honing his ninjaken sword. "Well," he said, "considering he does seem rather upbeat for a jonin sensei, he's probably new to this sort of thing."

Torine laid back in the grass with her hands behind her head. "Actually, Kono-sensei is already here."

Daichi jumped up to his feet while Ichigo stayed calm. "Huh?" Daichi said nervously, "He's here? Since when? Where is he?"

Torine sits up and points toward the trees. "He's been hiding in those trees for the past twenty minutes I've noticed him."

"What? Twenty minutes? You mean he's been leaving us hanging? And why didn't you tell us sooner?"

"I figured he had a reason for waiting back there."

Ichigo clicked his tongue. "Figures. He's testing our patience. That's what he's doing."

Then Konohamaru leapt into the clearing from his hiding place. He chuckled at them. "Well you're half right, Ichigo. But I also wanted to see if any of you could detect my presence. Ninja much always be aware of their surroundings. Otherwise, they're easy prey for an ambush." He then looks at the young kunoichi and gives her a thumbs up. "You've got good sensory skills Torine."

Torine giggled. "Well, being a Hyuuga has its advantages."

"Right. But enough of that. Let's get down to business, shall we?" Konohamaru then pulled out two small sphere bells tied to red strings. They made a jingling sound as he shook them. The trio was confused.

"Um, bells, sir?" asked Daichi.

"Yes, Daichi," the jonin chuckled. "Your objective is simple, take these bells from me. Anyone who manages to take one will pass, anyone who doesn't will be sent back to the academy.

"That's all?" ask Torine standing up.

"Oh, just cause something is simple, doesn't make it necessarily easy."

"Hold on," said Ichigo as he stood up and sheathed his sword. "There are three of us but only two bells in your hand."

"I'm glad you caught that. Well I did say that only a few of this year's selection would be accepted as genin, didn't I?"

"B-but that means that it's guaranteed that at least one of us will fail!" Daichi exclaimed nervously.

"That's right!"

"Are you saying that the three of us can't pass together?" asked Torine. "But that's not fair, ya know?!"

Konohamaru laughed. "Sorry! Bad luck for you three. But I highly doubt any one of you will be able to take these bells from me. I am a jonin after all, while you are all still fresh from the academy." No one noticed the gold crosses briefly appearing in Ichigo's eyes. "To have any chance at taking them, you're gonna have to come at me with the intent to kill. You have three hours. When I say 'Start', I'll give you ten seconds to hide. Let's see what you all can do." He then attaches the bells to his pocket. "Ready?"

The three genin candidates took their ready stances. There was a long pause as the rookies waited for their signal. The wind was blowing a few leaves in between them. The sensei smirked. "START!"

In an instant, the trio scattered into the surrounding trees. After the ten seconds were up, the sensei lectured, "Ninja must always mask their presence. They when they hide, they stay out of sight, make not a sound, hide their breath, conceal their chakra as best as they can, and make as little movement as possible." He looks around. They were amateurs at concealing charka and breathing, but were well hidden nonetheless. "Well, at least they understand that much," he said to himself.

It was ten minutes since they started, and none of them made a move. Konohamaru had decided to smoke a cigarette while pacing around the clearing to pass the time, wondering who will attack first. His question was answered when a red blur rushed to him from behind. He caught a fist in hand without even looking. "About time someone had the guts to come at me." He turned around with a smirk to see his boss's daughter struggling with her fist in his hand. "But do you have what takes to snatch a bell from me?" Torine then brought her other fist to punch him, only for it to be blocked by his other hand. Konohamaru then threw the Hyuuga heiress far away, but she quickly regained her bearings and landed on all fours. "You won't get anywhere using normal attacks like that."

Torine stood up and smirked. "Well then," she said, "I guess I'll have to try this." She went through a series of hand signs, stopping with Snake sign with the right index finger lifted straight up. After a brief pause she shouted, "**Byakugan**!" and her invisible pupils became more distinct and the veins near her temples bulged. She then got into the basic Gentle Fist Stance. "Prepare yourself, Kono-sensei!"

"Well now," the sensei said, "Looks like I get to check out the Hyuuga style taijutsu first hand." He then got into his own stance. "But seriously, Kono-sensei?"

"Well, Konohamaru-sensei is kind of a mouthful, don't you think?"

"I suppose you're right."

Torine then charged at Kono-sensei and began her Gentle Fist assault. However, the sensei was too quick for her, as he effortlessly dodged her chakra charged slaps, though she did come close a few time. Soon he suddenly vanished from her frontal view, and by the time her Byakugan registered he was crouching behind her, it was to late. "**Hidden Leave Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death**!" She found herself getting poked up her rear end, sent flying into the air, shock and discomfort all over her face, and then splashing into the creek. Konohamaru just could help but laugh.

The kunoichi the raised her head out of the water. "Hey!" she shouted, "That was a cheap shot, ya know?!"

The Sarutobi then smiled as he wagged his index finger. "In the real combat, there's no such thing as a cheap shot. Capiche?"

"Really?" she said with a smirk as she leapt out the water and stood on top of it. Konohamaru was somewhat surprised that she already knew the water walking technique. But then again, the Gentle Fist probably requires that level of chakra control. Torine then formed a Ram hand sign. She shouted, "**Transform**!" and she was enveloped in white smoke. As the smoke clear Kono-sensei saw something that shocked him. Torine was slightly taller, her ponytails were longer, her breasts were bigger, her hips were curvier, and of course she was complete devoid of clothing, with only the left over white smoke covering her...unmentionables. "You like what you see, Kono-sensei?" The sensei's nose bled as he fell backwards and laid there motionless.

Torine then transformed back to normal and skipped to her sensei as she giggled. "Well like you said, 'No such thing as a cheap shot!'" She had actually been wanting to try the Sexy Jutsu for some time, but didn't want to get in trouble with the Hyuuga clan, especially her mother. She got to her dazed sensei and prepared to take the bells. However before she could even touch one, Konohamaru suddenly burst into white smoke. _A shadow clone?_ thought the shocked Hyuuga heiress.

Then she felt something grab her leg, "**Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu**!"and after a sudden pull, she found herself buried into the ground from her neck down.

"Aw man!" she shouted.

Then the real Kono-sensei appeared, crouched down, lightly pressing a kunai on her cheek, and smiling to her face. "Clever, princess, but not clever enough. The thing about 'cheap shots' is they don't always work when you want them to. And a justu like that will most likely not work on strong-minded, cold-blooded killers."

Suddenly, a batch of shuriken came out of the trees and struck the jonin with a direct hit to the back and neck. Torine was shocked at the sight of the blood as her sensei fell to the ground. But then in a puff of smoke, he was replace with a log. _A Substitution Jutsu,_ Torine thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, the thrower, Daichi, was shocked at first that he may have gone too far. But when the 'sensei' turned into a log, he knew he had exposed himself and had to get out of there. While he was worried about his teammate being buried underground, he knew he couldn't jump in there blindly. He was dashing threw the trees trying to steer clear of the area. _Sorry, Torine, but can't help until I'm sure this guy not on my tail._ He looked around making sure Konohamaru wasn't around. But as soon he looked behind him, he saw his sensei right in front of his face, causing him jump back and scream in fright.

"Boy, aren't you a little jumpy." said Kono-sensei. Daichi only responded by throwing more shuriken at him. The jonin quickly got out a kunai and deflected all of them. _This kid's got good aim for a rookie,_ he thought, _not a single overshot._

Daichi then performed a series of hand sign, ending with the Tiger, "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu,"** and a burst of fire blew out of his mouth. Sensei quickly jumped out on the way as the fire forms into a large ball of flame in front of the student.

_So he already can use ninjutsu,_ thought sensei, _interesting._ He then forms a few hand signs. _But let's see how he handles this._

As the fire doused, leaving a round burn on the ground, he notice that his sensei was nowhere to be seen. He looked around in a slight panic, wondering where he went.

"Dai...chi," a weak sounding voice spoke from behind.

Recognizing the voice the Uchiha quickly turned around. "Torine?" Then he gasp in horror, for he saw Torine on her knees all covered in blood and kunais stabbed all over.

"Why did...you leave me...Daich?i" she said in a weak desperate tone. She reached out hand. "Please...help...me!"

Daichi was frozen on the spot, as her pleas kept coming. He was in immense shock as he stared at the state his best friend was in. His mind panicked. _Wh-what do I do?! What do I do?! Th-this can't be happening! No! N-not Torine! Th-this can't be real!_ With that last thought, his mind suddenly clicked. He performed the Ram sign and shouted, "**Release!**". 'Torine' then vanished into nothing. Daichi dropped his head and arms as he sighed, relieved that it was only a genjutsu. With Konohamaru nowhere in sight, he thought that he should go back and check to see if the real Torine was still buried in the ground.

* * *

After Konohamaru sensei's substitution, Ichigo dashed around the trees, looking for his sensei, until he caught sight of Daichi's fire jutsu. He watched from behind a bush as his saw Kono-sensei formed a hand sign. After the fire doused, Daichi acted like sensei wasn't even there, and was looking around in panic, which got worse as he looked behind him. Ichigo figured he was trapped in a genjutsu. Soon, sensei threw is kunai in Ichigo's direction, stabbing the ground right in front of his feet, cause him to jump slightly, not too much but enough to expose his position. Ichigo then dashed away, with Konohamaru in hot pursuit.

After a bit of running, Ichigo stopped and turned to face his opponent, who stood there grinning with his cigarette in his mouth.

"Looks like you're next, Ichigo," he said as he blew another puff of smoke. "I'm more than curious to see what a former Mountain student can do. But I still don't expect you take these bells from me."

Ichigo stood there calmly as he unsheathed his ninjaken with his right hand. "We'll see about that," he said as he points his sword at his sensei.

After a pause, Ichigo began slashing his sword at him. Konohamaru defended with his kunai with minor difficultly. The former Mountain student displayed swift and precise slashes and switch hands at certain points. After a series of metal-on-metal clashing, Ichigo leapt back away.

The Sarutobi smirked. "Well, I'm impressed by your kenjutsu skills."

"Well, my father told me numerous times that I take after my late mother," said Ichigo.

"Is that so. But, I can't help but feel you're holding out on me."

Ichigo smirked, "Well...guess now is as good a time as any to show my mother's lineage." This time he actually shows the gold crosses appearing in his eyes.

Konohamaru's eyes widen. _Well that's new,_ he thought.

Ichigo then crouched down, shouldered his ninjaken, and formed a one handed Tiger sign. "**Hikaru Style Kenjusu: Roaring Tiger Dance,**" he shouted as he charged at him. His slashes became wilder and more aggressive.

As the sensei was dodging his strikes, he was surprised that whenever he tried to defend, the student would fake him out and attack differently, and a few time he faked him out when he dodged. _It's like this kid is reading my mind or something,_ he thought.

Then Ichigo trusted his sword and managed to grazed his sensei's left shoulder. He then moved in to grab the bells from his pocket. He managed to touch one of them before Kono-sensei kicked at him, only for him to leap out of the way.

"Hikaru Style Kenjutsu, eh?" Konohamaru smirked. "Very impressive. And those crosses in your eyes, I've never seen anything like those before. Is that some kind of doujutsu?"

Ichigo smirked, "I'll tell you after this test is over. But for now..." he then quickly threw a kunai with an orange tag on the ground in front of the Sarutobi, who then leapt backward as the tag exploded.

As the dust settled, Kono-sensei looked around and realized that Ichigo has fled. "Ichigo Tenshou. He's sure is something else. Then again, all three of them are." He then smiled as he blew another puff of smoke. "I wonder if any of them have figured out the true meaning of this test."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, this test is unoriginal but I think of it as a tradition when you consider.**

**Please review, some advice might help, and I'm open to suggestions.**


	4. Test Results

**A/N: After a comment about a certain event from the previous chapter, I thought I should address it in this chapters. I hope those who were unsettled will feel a little bit better.**

* * *

**Test Results**

* * *

Hinata was out in the Main House gardens watering the plants while humming to herself. Soon there was a yellow flash behind her and a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Hinata was slightly surprised at first, but quickly smiled knowing who it was.

"Goooood morning, Sweetheart," said the visitor.

Hinata giggled, "Good morning, Naruto." She turned around and gave her husband a quick kiss.

Even though Naruto uses Shadow Clones to handle the dreaded paperwork, he doesn't really get to spend much time with his family. Once in a while, he'd use his father's Flying Raijin Jutsu to sneak into the Main House to have a private chat with his family, or sneak them out for some family fun. Due to their marriage being secret, the Hokage can't be seen hanging around the Hyuuga Head and Heiress too often to avoid arousing suspicion. They don't want anyone, namely the council members, to accuse Naruto of being biased in favor of the Hyuuga, or Hinata of using the Hokage to gain more political power; just because the two are married. They couldn't take that risk.

Both Naruto and Hinata are working to open the eyes of the stubborn Hyuuga Elders who are blinded by their pride. They managed to abolish the accursed Caged Bird Seal, but even that was a slow process. If it wasn't enough that those bags of bones questioned Hiashi's decision to appoint Hinata as Clan Head, their mistreatment of her daughter, Torine, has been getting under their skin. While most of the Hyuuga, namely the Branch House, have treated the heiress with the utmost respect, the elders think her kindness, generosity, upbeat attitude, and the fact that Hinata refuses to reveal (or rather, admit) who the father is all make Torine a plague to the clan's strength. Thankfully, they had Hiashi among the elders to back them up and give the Secret Lovers and their daughter support. Still, progress on changing the Hyuuga Clan has been very slow.

"Nice day, isn't it?" said the Hokage.

"Yes it is," said the Hyuuga Head. "Glad the weather is perfect for Torine's test."

"Yeah."

"Do you think her team will pass?"

"I don't think; I know," Naruto said with a smirk. "I'm sure at least one of them has figured it out by now. Those three are at the top their class. And they're best friends, so they should be able to work with each other easily. Not to mention each one brings something unique to the team, for a working balance."

Hinata looked up at the sky. "You know, our little girl is growing up so fast. She's gonna be 13 in about a month. It feels like only yesterday I was feeding her with a bottle, and now she's almost a genin. It kinda makes you wish it would've lasted longer, doesn't it?"

Naruto looked up as well."Yeah I know what you mean. Especially since I haven't been around as often as a father should. I'm surprised she doesn't resent for that."

"Of course not," Hinata laughed, "She knows you love her, and she understands your position. Why would she resent you? She loves you too much."

Naruto chuckled. "I guess you right."

There was a brief pause. Hinata soon looked down, concerned. "Do you think we should tell her soon? About the night she was born? About that strange seal? About...Torimaru?"

Naruto sighed with concern. "Truth is, Hinata,... I don't know. I was about her age when I learned about the Nine-tailed Fox. To say I was shocked would've been an understatement. It wasn't until three years later that I learned about my parents, and the truth about the night I was born. It sure was a lot to take in. I lived my childhood hated by everyone in the village. I suffered through a pain and loneliness worse than they could ever imagine. A pain Torine has never lived through; and for her sake, I hope she never does. She is fortunate the only people who seem to hate her are those old bastards." He paused for a bit. "Everyone is different. There's really no telling how she would take that kind of news."

"I know that," said Hinata. "Believe me, I'm worried about her feelings too. But she has a right to know, and she'll have to know eventually. But would you rather she learn it from someone else,...or from us, her parents."

Naruto thought for a minute. "Point taken." He sighed. "Maybe we'll tell her after her birthday. If not, then definitely when she becomes chuunin. The question is...How do we approach her with this?"

Hinata embraced her husband. "Don't worry, Dear. I'm sure she'll understand. I just think that the sooner we tell her the better."

* * *

Daichi had just helped Torine out of the hole in the ground she was stuck in. She stretched her muscles for a bit. "Thanks, Daichi," said Torine.

"No problem, Torine," Daichi said with a slight blush. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Torine said, pretty miffed. "I feel violated, ya know?!" She massaged her posterior. "I mean, did you see what Kono-sensei did to me back there?!"

"Y-yes. It was...very unsettling."

"Oooh! Wait 'til Papa hears about this! A move like that should not go unpunished, ya know?!"

Then a third voice walked up to them. "He'll get what's coming to him, sure enough."

"Oh, Ichigo."

"I think he's playing us about this test," Ichigo said firmly.

The others were confuse. "What do you mean?" asked Daichi.

"Think about it. Why put us in a three-man squad if it was guaranteed at least one of us would fail this final test?" Torine and Daichi looked at each other, unsure how to answer that question. "It kinda defeats the purpose of a three-man squad, doesn't it? Especially since normally a squad is only ever reduced to two if one member either dies or is incapacitated."

"You have a point there," said Torine. "So why tell us that those who get a bell will pass, but only leave us with two bells?"

"That's simple," Ichigo said in a matter-of-fact tone. "To intentionally avert us from the true purpose of this test."

"The true purpose?" asked Daichi.

"Remember our teachings in the academy," Ichigo explained. "'A ninja must see through deception. Look underneath the underneath.' By telling us that whoever doesn't get a bell fails the test, he tricked us into thinking we needed to pass individually, when in reality..."

Torine tapped her fist onto her palm in an 'I got it' manner. "We have to pass as a team!"

"I see," Daichi caught on. "He wanted to see if we could ignore the fact that there are only two bells, and work together to stand a better chance a taking them and pass together."

"Exactly," stated Ichigo. "So if we want to stand any chance at passing, we're gonna have to come up with a plan and work as a team. If we don't show him that we can work together, we're all guaranteed to fail, regardless of who manages to get a bell."

Torine was in thought for a moment. "You know, I think there's more to it than just that?"

Daichi looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When I asked my mom for advice on this test, she only told me that if I really wanted to pass, I can't just think about myself. With everything we've figured out about this test, I think I'm starting to understand what exactly she meant." Torine then loosened her headband, moved it from her neck up to her forehead, and then tightened it. "Let's come up with a plan, but leave the bell snatching part to me!" She smirked. "I know just what to do. We're gonna pass this test! Believe it!"

Her team smiled at her and nodded their heads. They then huddled up to strategize.

* * *

Konohamaru-sensei walked though the training field smoking his cigarette, wondering what his students are doing. It had been over an hour since the test began. He had a brief look at what each student they could do.

We have Daichi, who is adept at shurikenjutsu as well as fire style ninjutsu. So far it seems he hasn't awaken his Sharingan yet. He seems smart, but has a little trouble with his nerves. Kono would have to do something about that.

Then there was Ichigo, who excels at kenjutsu. He seems to be the smartest of the three. He also seems to have a doujutsu that he apparently kept secret since he moved here. It made the Sarutobi wonder what else he could be holding back.

And of course there was his boss's daughter, Torine. So far, he has seen a pretty swift Gentle Fist style and chakra control at least at the water-walking level. Her Byakugan and sensory abilities would make her an effective tracker or lookout. He remembers being told that she's a real chip off the old block. He was also told about that S-class secret, the unknown fuuinjutsu someone place on her when she was an infant. The sensei was very curious about her full potential.

After he finished mind-wandering, he was confronted by two of his students, Daichi and Ichigo. "Well now," he said, "so you two decided to double team on me, huh?" He then pulled out a kunai. "Let's see if you manage."

Daichi threw a bunch of shuriken at the sensei, with Ichigo rushing forward behind them with his ninjaken. Konohamaru deflected all the shuriken and blocked Ichigo's sword with his kunai. During the blade stand-off, Daichi leapt up to bicycle kick Kono, only to be blocked by his free hand. The sensei then spun around, knock them both away.

Daichi quickly regained his bearings and formed a hand sign. "**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" He blew a large fireball from his mouth at Kono-sensei. Kono however leapt out of the way. Ichigo then charged at him with a trust attack, only for it to clash with Sensei's kunai. Daichi then quickly threw a kunai at seemingly nothing, but in actuality it sliced through string, setting off a kunai throwing trap. Ichigo leapt away as the kunai bursted from the trees and stabbed into the Konohamaru, only for him to substitute for a log.

They two then heard their sensei shout, "**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!**" and they found themselves blown away until they each slammed their backs into a tree. Konohamaru then appeared before the two. "The two of you will need a lot more than that to succeed."

"How about one more, then!" shouted Torine leaping into the air from the top of the trees. "Or better yet, how about ten!" She then formed a hand sign where she crossed her middle and index fingers. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" In a puff of smoke there was not one, but ten Torines.

Kono looked surprised at first, but then smiled. _Chip off the old block indeed,_ he thought. The clones were falling toward him, ready to pile onto him. But he simply leapt up to them and performed a spinning kick to scatter them away, causing half of them to burst into smoke. The remaining Torines activated their Byakugan and started charging in Gentle Fist Style. They managed to land a couple of strikes to his limbs, but he managed to avoid most of the blows and take out two more clones. Soon Ichigo leapt into the air for a falling slash attack, but Kono-sensei blocked it with his kunai.

Suddenly, the remaining two Torine clones latched onto Konohamaru's shoulders and legs, while the real Torine leapt to Daichi, who grabbed her arm spun around a few times and threw her straight toward the sensei. He didn't see her coming until it was too late. She managed to grab both the bells as she zipped passed him.

Konohamaru was surprised at the action. The clones dispelled and Ichigo leapt away from Sensei. Kono looked toward Torine and slowly clapped his hands. "Well now! I must admit, I didn't see that one coming. That was impressive indeed." Torine giggled at that comment, as her teammates began to walk closer to her. "But tell me, Torine, now that you've got both of the bells, what do you plan to do with them?"

"That's easy!" she said as she tossed both bells to her teammates, each catching the other. Daichi was a bit surprised.

"Oh?" Kono-sesnei said raising an eyebrow. "You would give up the bells and your chance to pass just so your teammates pass?"

"Yep!" She said confident. "It's not worth it to me if one of my friends doesn't get to pass with me. I'd hate to leave either one of them behind. I'd rather be the one left behind. My Papa once taught me the those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum. I'd never abandon my comrades, especially not my best friends."

Daichi then ran up to Torine. "What?" he said nervously. "C-come on Torine! You don't have to do that!" He then held his bell toward her, blushing again. "Here! Keep mine! Y-you and Ichigo deserve these more that I do."

Ichigo then held his bell toward the two. "Well," he said, "I'm not willing to leave any of you two behind either. What kind of teammate or friend would I be if I did that?"

Suddenly Konohamaru started clapping while chuckling, grabbing their attention. "Now this is what a team should be like! One that sticks together no matter what. A team whose members work together regardless of the circumstances or personal issues. But more importantly, one whose members would never leave each other behind for their own personal survival or selfish desires. Each of you put the welfare your teammates above the success of your mission; as well as above your own personal agenda. As the Sixth Hokage himself was taught, and in turn he taught me: 'Those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are even worse than scum.' Congratulations, Team 1!" He then made a big smile and gave them a thumbs up. "YOU'VE ALL PASSED!"

The team looked at each other slightly stunned, but then they smiled and gave each other high fives. Daichi shook his arms in excitement, Ichigo crossed his arm with a proud smirk, and Torine jumped for joy.

* * *

Konohamaru decided to treat them to some ramen today. When they got to Ichiraku's they were all surprised to see both the Hokage and the Hyuuga Head waiting there to greet them. They got inside and ordered their usual meals.

"I had a Shadow Clone watch the whole thing using the crystal ball." said Naruto. "I'm impressed with all of your skills, you really showed Konohamaru what you could do. I'm really proud of you all, especially you Torine." He petted his daughter's hair.

"Congratulations on passing, Sweety." said Hinata.

Torine giggled, "Thanks, Mom, Papa."

"By the way, Ichigo," said Konohamaru, "you still haven't explained those crosses I saw in your eyes."

"Crosses in Ichigo's eyes?" asked Daichi.

Ichigo smirks as gold crosses appeared in his violet eyes. "It's called the **Kurosugan(1)**."

"Kurosugan?" asked Torine. "You never told us about any Kurosugan?"

"I figured I'd wait for the opportune moment to show it off," Ichigo explained. "The Kurosugan is the doujutsu of the Hikaru clan, my mother's clan."

"Hikaru clan?" asked Kono-sensei. "The clan you got your kenjutsu skills from?"

"The same. The Hikaru clan excels at kenjutsu, and fuuinjutsu as well."

"Sounds a lot like my clan, the Uzumaki," stated Naruto.

"I've heard rumors that the Hikaru and Uzumaki were once rival clans in that regard a long time ago," said Ichigo. "But enough of that. Their kekkei genkai, the Kurosugan, like other doujutsu, is capable of seeing chakra. But that's not all it can see. These eyes can see something no other doujutsu today is capable of seeing: the soul."

"The soul?" asked Hinata.

"The Kurosugan can read a person's soul, telling us what kind of person they are."

"Wow," said Daichi, "so you can tell a good person from a bad one?"

"Basically," Ichigo continued, "A person may be able to hide in an outward facade, but the can't disguise their soul. I can also tell when a person lies, exaggerates, or withholds vital information on a particular subject; their soul gives off certain pulses when those happen. Granted, reading a soul is not as easy as it sounds. Initially it takes hard concentration, then it takes skill to read a soul without needing to concentrate too hard, and some souls are harder to read than others. Unskilled users can only get a general idea of the person they're reading, but more skilled users are able to look into deeper detail, telling us things like their personality and their emotional state at the time. I can tell what kind of person they are without needing to listen to how they talk or observe how they act."

Naruto was intrigued. "Sounds like something useful for finding hidden enemies."

"Yes. Though with enough skill, it also becomes useful in battle. It allows us to read our opponent's fighting style before they show it off in its entirety, allowing us to better predict their next moves. A headstrong style become easier to counter. A defensive style becomes easier to break through. A cunning style becomes easier to out smart. Granted, some style are harder to read or predict than others."

"I see," said Konohamaru. "So that's why it felt like you were reading my mind during our one-on-one bout. I was using a defensive style that you found easy to read." Ichigo nodded at this.

"It sounds like you have a very useful gift indeed," said Hinata.

"Yeah, and I owe it all to my late mother."

"You know," said Torine, "you never really told us anything about your mom, Ichigo."

"Well," he said hesitating a bit, "that's because she died only a few months after I was born, so I never really got to know her on a personal level. All I have to go on are what my father tells me. Although, I've been told numerous times that I take after her. I was also told that she," he paused for a second, "died defending what she believed in."

Naruto chuckled. "I know a few people who did just that."

"Say," said Torine. "If all three of us have a doujutsu, maybe after we become chuunin we could call ourselves Team Doujutsu, or Team Eyes, or something along those lines."

"I don't know," said Daichi, "I'd still have to awaken my Sharingan in order for us to do that."

"Hey! You'll awaken it soon enough, so don't worry."

Naruto smirked. "Well, with you three being the hardest workers of your class, I'm expecting great things from all three of you. So keep up the good work and you'll go far. Believe It!" The trio nodded at the Hokage. "Now, that said." He turned to Konohamaru with a clearly fake smile. "My wife and I would like to talk to you about something, Konohamaru."

Kono looked confused. "Um...what about, Boss?"

Hinata showed an equally fake smile. "Well there's a certain move Naruto's clone saw you use on our daughter that we do not approve of. What was that move called? A Thousand Years of Death?" A tick mark appeared on the couple's heads.

The Sarutobi sweat dropped. "Uh...," he said nervously "C-c-come on! I-I was only messing around. It was supposed to be a joke!"

"You made me feel VERY uncomfortable, you jerk!" snapped Torine.

Both Torine's parents wiped the fakes smiles off their as they turned into faces of rage. Naruto grabbed his disciple by the scarf and collar. "JOKES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY!" he shouted. "THERE IS NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT A GROWN MAN POKING A TEENAGED GIRL WHERE HE SHOULDN'T, YOU PERVERTED PEDOPHILE!

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO MY DAUGHTER!" Hinata shouted uncharacteristically. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT!"

Naruto then made an evil grin, "Why don't we take this to the Hokage Monument, shall we?"

"Please no," Konohamaru begged, but it fell on deaf ears.

"**Flying Raijin Jutsu.**" Naruto said as he, Hinata, and Konohamaru disappeared in a yellow flash.

"Wow," said Ichigo as he sweat dropped. "Some family."

Daichi was stunned. "I've never seen your mom like this before."

Torine rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah, Mom is a really nice person, but...you really don't want to get her angry."

"Wow," Daichi was deadpanned. "And I thought my mom has a short fuse."

"Which one?" asked Ichigo.

Daichi dropped his head. "Both of them actually."

Soon very loud male screaming was echoing all over the village. Something told the trio that was their sensei screaming. Whatever Naruto and Hinata were doing to him could NOT be pretty.

"Something tells we may be getting a new supervisor for at least a few weeks." said Ichigo.

Torine scoffed. "Serves him right."

* * *

**(1): Kurosugan = "cross eye"**

**A/N: I apologize to those who were unsettle after that one event last chapter. I meant it as a joke but thinking about, it is a bit disturbing. So I felt there had to be repercussions for Kono's actions toward Torine.**

**Please review, some advice might help, and I'm open to suggestions.**


	5. Substitute Sensei

**A/N: ****Just a simple D-rank mission, along with some important plot details.**

**I wanted to stop poking fun at Konohamaru at the last chapter, but I just could NOT resist giving Torine her share in the payback. **

**Shout out:**

**UltimateUnknown: What a weird coincidence indeed about my Team Eye/Doujutsu and your Team I(Eye).**

**Without further ado, let's begin.**

* * *

**Subtitute Sensei**

* * *

"Man! This really stinks!"

The day after becoming full-fledged genin, Team 1 visited the hospital where Konohamaru-sensei laid in bed all covered in bandages and a sling on his right arm. Accompanying them was the one of the nurses and expert medic-nin, Karin, AKA Daichi's stepmother.

"Well," said the angry medic, "maybe you should think before doing something that would anger your boss, and the Hokage no less."

"Hey," Kono snapped, "I don't need any lip from the replacement Uchiha bitch!"

Karin then threatened him by putting her in front of his face. "You want me to add to your injuries and take longer to heal?!"

Konohamaru sweat dropped, waved his good arm in fright. "Okay okay okay!" he said as he sighed. "I swear, you Uzumaki have such short tempers."

"Sorry Kono-sensei," Torine giggled "but you kinda had that coming."

The sensei sighed, "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." He then clears his throat. "Well, since I'm gonna be out for a while, the Hokage wants you three to meet him in his office to discuss your substitute."

"You gonna be alright, Sensei?" asked Daichi.

"Eh, I'm use to this kind of punishment. You should have seen me when I tried to hit on Tori's Aunt Hanabi, and had a little...accident with her," Kono shuddered. "Not pretty."

_Hard to believe this guy is a jounin sensei,_ thought Ichigo.

"Anyway, you three better not keep the Hokage waiting."

Karin then smiles sweetly at Daichi, "Good luck on your first mission, Sweetie!"

Daichi's face turns red. "Um...Thanks, Mom."

"Oh, almost forgot," said Torine as she holds out a glass filled with ice and a yellow liquid. "I got you some lemonade. I hope it'll make you feel better." She places the glass on the tray next to him.

"Oh! Thanks, Tori."

"You're welcome!" She then quickly turned around and grabbed both Daichi and Ichigo. "Well, let's not keep Papa waiting! Bye!" She dragged her teammates out in the speed of sound.

After they exited the hospital, they stopped for a moment. Then Ichigo decided to say what's on his mind. "That wasn't lemonade you gave him, was it?"

Torine gave him a sweet smile and said, "Nope."

Then they heard a loud angry shout from inside the building, "TOOORRIIIINNEEEEE!" That was Konohamaru yelling from an open window.

Torine, with her back toward her sensei, turn her head to him and began spanking herself as she shouted, "PAYBACK'S A BITCH!" Then she bolted at an insane speed, leaving a trail of dust clouds, all the while laughing out loud. Her teammates both sweat dropped.

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" but Kono was cut off by Karin's hand pulling him from the window.

"GET BACK IN HERE YOU MORON!" she said as she slammed her fist upside his head, knocking him out cold. "And that's for spitting that stuff all over me you jackass!"

* * *

Team 1 soon arrived in the Hokage's office, where they met up with the Hokage himself along with his advisor, Shikamaru Nara, and their former academy teacher, Iruka Umino.

"Okay, Team 1." Naruto began. "As you probably already know, while your sensei is dealing with his punishment, you're gonna need a temporary supervisor for your first several missions. So I've called an old friend for the job." He looked toward the window. "You can come in now!"

In came a young woman, about twenty years old. She had short brown hair, red eyes, and a red forehead protector. She wore mesh armor blouse with a single red sleeve under a series white wrappings with a red thorn pattern wrapped to resemble a dress, an open chuunin vest, red shorts, and black sandals.

Torine recognized the woman and excitedly wave at her. "Hey, Kurai!"

The woman winked and waved back. "It's been a while, Tori. How's it going?"

"Kurai Sarutobi here has agreed to be your substitute for the time being," said Shikamaru.

"I'll be watching out for you until my idiot cousin recovers." said Kurai.

"Alright," said Iruka as he flips through the papers. "Now, for your first mission. Ah, here we are, your first mission as genin will be,..." Torine waited with breathless anticipation, "whitewashing a fence."

Torine face planted at that, while her teammates looked at her, Daichi slightly startled and Ichigo sweat dropped. "Whitewashing a fence?!" she said. "What kind of lame mission is that?"

Shikamaru sighed and said, "What a drag. All fresh genin start off doing D-rank missions. That's the way it goes."

"But that's more like a mere chore, not a mission, ya know?"

_Like father like daughter,_ thought Iruka looking at the Hokage, who scratched the back of his head.

"I know what you mean, Tori," Naruto said "Believe me, I felt the same way when I had to do my first D-rank. But those are the rules, and I can't make any exceptions. Besides, we really don't have anything above a D-rank available right now."

"Aw man," groaned the Hokage's daughter as she stood back up.

"What'd you expect?" said Ichigo. "I mean we're fresh from the Academy. Did you really think we'd get any of the hard stuff right off the bat?"

"Uh, I-I'm sure we'll get to do more...e-exciting mission someday soon." said Daichi.

"But for now, you're stuck with the small stuff," said Kurai. "Now come on, let's get to it now and get it over with."

The team and their substitute sensei soon left the room. Shikamaru then sighed. "Troublesome. But then what do I expect from your kid, eh Naruto?"

Naruto gives a foxy grin. "Yeah she's a bit too casual around me, despite me being Hokage. But at least she knows when to be polite, especially while her mother's around."

"Well at least she has shown as much promise as you did at her age." said Iruka. "In fact, she may have even shown more promise than you. She did have much higher grades than you."

The Hokage looked at his former teacher deadpanned. "Gee thanks Iruka-sensei." Soon, there was a knock on the door. "Enter!"

In came an ANBU agent with a spiky brown hair and a dog mask. "ANBU Hound reporting, Lord Hokage."

Naruto turned to Iruka. "Could you give us a moment?" Iruka nodded and left the room. Naruto then gave the agent a serious look. "So how goes the investigation?"

The agent took off his mask, revealing a red fang tattoo on each of his cheeks. "Same as usual. No sign of the Tailed Beasts anywhere, and still no clue as to where they are."

Naruto looked down. "I see."

After the Fourth Great Ninja War, it was decided by the Five Kage that the Nine Tailed Beasts were to be free from burden of being weapons to the Five Great Nations. The seven that were freed from the Ten-Tails were moved to a large far off island unsettled by humans. They decided to call that place the Land of Tails. A couple of years later, they developed a way to extract remaining two, the Eight-Tails, Gyuuki, from Killer Bee and the Nine-Tails, Kurama, from Naruto without killing the jinchuuriki, then allowed them to join their siblings. The Five Kage would visit the Land of Tails as a group once a year, with individual visits every now and then.

However almost three years ago, it was discovered that the all nine Tailed Beasts had vanished. ANBU agents from all five nations have been searching to all over the place for them, as well as clues as to where these titans could be and why they vanished, but they came up empty. It was around this time that another island called the Land of Darkness had made itself known, and the shinobi village supposedly within it, Kagegakure, the Hidden Shadow Village, arousing suspicion on their possible involvement with the Tailed Beasts.

Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag. I really don't like this one bit."

Naruto clenched his fist, worried about the Tailed Beasts, especially Kurama.

"We've looked everywhere for them." said Hound. "I mean, how can nine giant beasts just up and vanish like that without a trace?"

"I don't know," said the Hokage. "It's been almost three years already. They are powerful creatures. With them out of our sight, any enemies we still have could try to use them against us."

"I still say the Hidden Shadow Village is involved," said Hound. "The Land of Darkness is probably the only place we haven't looked. And not only that, they've now occupied the Land of Tails, claiming that with the Tailed Beasts gone and no humans settled on the island, then its fair game. We've gotta check that place out."

"Except the Shadow's Yamikage has denied all nations access to both the Land of Darkness and the Land of Tails," said Shikamaru.

"So what?! We don't need their permission to search for what's not theirs!"

"No, Kiba! The Shadow is shrouded in too much mystery. Even more so than the Sound was. We have no idea what they're capable off. The last stealth mission to the Land of Darkness ended with three of our own bodies handed to us on a platter, and they were ANBU members. The Mist tried the same thing and got the same result. We can't risk losing another squad without knowing what we're up against. And an even bigger danger is if we continue to conduct stealth missions to the Land of Darkness, the Shadow might retaliate in a severe fashion."

Naruto leaned against the desk as he said, "As much as I want to go there myself and beat the living snot out of them, Shikamaru is right. The less we know about a nation, the more potential danger they impose. We can't risk angering them any further. Besides, they haven't tried anything against any nation other than self-preservation. And making accusations without evidence is never a good idea. We are trying to secure peace in this world. The last thing we want is for this to turn into a Fifth Great Ninja War. All we can do for now is appease them so they don't try anything that could lead to a disaster."

Hound, AKA Kiba Inuzuka, growled in defeat. "Fine." Then he decided to change the subject. "By the way, how's Lioness's search coming?"

Naruto looked down in depression. "Just as much progress as yours."

Kiba signed. "Look Naruto, with all due respect, you should call off that search. I mean, it's been almost 13 years now. Let's face it, it's a lost cause."

The Hokage slammed his fist onto the desk, startling Hound. "You think I don't know that?! You think I haven't accepted the possibility that my son is dead?!"

"Calm down, Naruto." said Shikamaru. Naruto did as his advisor said. Then the Nara pointed out, "We don't know for sure what happened to Torimaru. We still don't even know the reason for the kidnapping in the first place. Did they somehow know the S-rank secret that they were the Hokage's children? Was it merely because they were Hyuuga? The kidnappers never made any demands, and if they wanted the twins dead just like that they more likely would've killed them on the spot. They never attempted to recapture Torine, so either they think it's too risky or they're satisfied with who they got. We can only guess what they did with Torimaru. It's troublesome, that's for sure."

After taking a deep breath, the Hokage said, "As much as I don't want to give on my own son, I've accepted that as Hokage I can't focus my resources on could turn out to be a wild goose chase. I already told Lioness that if she wanted to call off the search I wouldn't hold it against her. But she's the one refuses to quit. Well, I guess I can't really blame her. I mean this is Hanabi we're talking about, Torimaru's aunt. With me and Hinata too hung up with our duties as a Hokage and Clan Head, she feels it's her duty to do what neither parent are able to. She told me that even if I ordered her to quit, she would go as far as resigning from service as a Leaf ninja just to find her nephew. If that's how she feels, who am I to say no. If Hanabi's not giving up, then I, of all people, shouldn't either. That's always been MY ninja way, after all."

Kiba sighed. "If you say so." He then puts his dog mask back on. "Well, I've got nothing more to say."

Naruto nodded. "You're dismissed."

With that, Hound took his leave. Then Shikamaru had a thought that he just couldn't keep to himself. "You know, come to think of it," he said, "if Torimaru is alive, there is one place where I wouldn't be surprised he'd turn up."

The Hokage's eyes widened, and he clenched his fists, realizing exactly what his advisor was implying.

* * *

Team 1 were whitewashing a veerry long fence, while their sub observed. Torine wanted to use Shadow Clones to help out, but Kurai told her that she shouldn't rely on clones so much and ordered her not too, even made it into a challenge just to sweet talk her out of it.

As the trio stroked the paint, Ichigo decided to ask a question that was on his mind, "By the way, how do you and Kurai know each other?"

"Kurai is kinda like a big sister to me." answered Torine. "As far back as I can remember Kurai would play with me at the park. Right up until she became chuunin when she got a lot busier."

Kurai giggled. "The reason we know each other at all is because my mother use to be the jounin sensei of her mother."

"Wow!" exclaimed Daichi. "Really?"

"Yep! My mother, Kurenai, was a genjutsu master back in her day. After she became jounin she took on a genin squad of her own, consisting of Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and, of course, Hinata Hyuuga. Now see, Hinata was her most cherished student. She sympathized with her troubles with her clan, and watched her grow from a hopeless crybaby desperate to prove herself, to a strong independent kunoichi, to the Head of the Hyuuga. She can't even describe how proud she is of her."

Torine giggled. "My mom sure is amazing. Of course, she gives most of the credit to Papa. She always tells me he was her inspiration. If wasn't for him, she probably would've been stuck as a crybaby."

Kurai then said, "I've been thinking about having my own genin squad once I become jounin. When I was asked to sub for the my little sis's team, how could I refuse?"

"Say, uh, what kind of jutsu can you use?" asked Daichi.

"Well, like my mother, I specialize in genjutsu. But I'm also adept in wind style jutsu. I'm told that I get that from my father, Asuma." Kurai pulls out a odd-looking trench knife the look like it could also be a bladed brass knuckle. "He used his wind nature chakra with these chakra blades to extend the reach of his attacks. Shikamaru-sensei always told me how awesome my father was, being an old student of his and all." Kurai then sighed. "I wish I could've met him, but unfortunately he was killed before I was even born."

"It sucks not being able to personally know one of your parents," said Ichigo. "I know how that feels."

"Yeah. But you know, even though we never got to meet, I'm proud to be his daughter. He gave his life for his village, for his family, and for the now Sixth Hokage, since he was the one the men who killed Father were after."

"Wow," said Torine, "I never knew about that."

"Mmhmm. He truly had the Will of Fire burning within him, much like his father, the Third. You know, Shikamaru-sensei, once taught me of belief my father and grandfather had, one that the Will of Fire applies to."

"Really?" asked Daichi. "What's that?"

"Let me ask you. If the Leaf Village were a game of Shougi, who would the King be?"

"Well," said Ichigo, "that would be the Hokage, wouldn't it?"

Kurai giggled. "Of course, that would the first thing anyone would answer. But the truth is, it's not."

"It's not?" asked Torine.

"Nope. The Hokage is actually more like the Queen, the second most valuable piece and the one with the best movement capability. The King is THE most valuable piece but with very little movement capability. You wanna know who that is?" The genin all nodded. "The Children of the Leaf."

The Torine and Daichi were confused at what she meant by that. But Ichigo thought it over and said, "That does make sense when you think about it."

"How so?" asked Torine.

"The duties within the village are all passed down from generation to generation. The ninja are no exception, especially the Hokage. In other words, ultimately the future of the Hidden Leaf is dependent on the next generation, as well as more generations to come."

"Exactly," said Kurai. "That is why he believed that if the Leaf Village were a game of Shougi, the King would be the children who bear the future of the Leaf on their shoulders. And one can also include the civilians who cannot fight for themselves."

"Wow." said Torine.

"My father wanted to protect the King, protect the children, protect me, his own child. That's why I want to carry that will myself, and pass it on the next generation when I become a jounin sensei."

The trio was awestruck by their subs words. Daichi was nervous as usual, but he stood as firm as he could. Ichigo stood there calmly and smirking. Torine however just couldn't contain her excitement. She put down her paintbrush, ran up a nearby poll, stood up top, and let out a loud shout that echoed throughout the village.

"LOOK OUT LEAF VILLAGE! MY WILL OF FIRE IS BURNING STRONG!"

* * *

**A/N: And that does it for the Introduction Arc.**

**Next time I'm going to skip the boring D-rank mission details and get straight to after Konohamaru recovers and Team 1 has their first C-rank. Time for the first major arc in the story to start.**


	6. C-Rank Escort Mission

**A/N: It's hard to write the small events when you mind is distracted by the bigger events you plan to write later. I know what will happen in this mission, but leading up to it may turn out to be a challenge.**

* * *

**C-Rank Escort Mission**

* * *

It had been two weeks since Team 1 was formed. The genin had been stuck doing D-rank missions, ranging from village labor to babysitting to chasing runaway pets. And the only form of training they've done thus far was just basic physical exercises. All in all, their first two weeks as ninja had been pretty boring. Konohamaru-sensei had finally recovered from his injuries. They met with the Hokage to discuss their next mission.

"Come on! Papa!" whined Torine. Naruto had his face planted on the desk.

"For last time, Torine, you are not ready for a C-rank," said Iruka.

"All we've been doing are lousy chores! I want a more exciting mission. One that's outside the village. Please!? For your daughter?!"

Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag."

"You gotta understand, Torine," said Iruka, "as Hokage your father can't play favorites. You can't expect to get any special treatment just because you're his daughter."

Toine sighed. "I know. But...I'm just so bored."

Naruto lifted his head up and rested it on one fist. _I know how she feels,_ he thought._ But still..._

"If I may so, Boss," said Konohamaru, "I personally think that these lowly D-ranks are a waste of their talents."

"Not you too, Konohamaru!" said Iruka.

"Hey! Need I remind you that these three graduated at the top of their class? I witnessed their skills first hand during their Bell Test, and they held their own better than I expected, not to mention their already in sync as a team. You gotta admit, Iruka-sensei, there's more to these kids than meets the eye. I'd say they're more than capable of a C-rank."

"But...how do we know they're experienced enough?"

"Well, I guess we'll never know until we try it, right?"

The Hokage then scratched his head. "As much as I hate to admit it, I agree with you, Kono." This surprised both Iruka and Shikamaru, and made Torine beam with joy.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Naruto?" asked Shikamaru.

"I am confident that these three can handle a C-rank. However, what worries me is that any mission could escalate due to unforeseen circumstances." Naruto bowed his head. "My first C-rank mission was given to my team because I was too eager. And you wanna know what happened? It was later bumped up to an A-rank due to vital information withheld by the client. If anything, we were lucky to have come out of that alive."

"Hey! Don't worry about it, Boss!" Konohamaru said with a smile. "If things get dicey, I'll bail them out, no problem!" Naruto raised his head and look at his pupil in the eyes. Kono then gave him a thumbs up. "Trust me! I haven't been training as your apprentice for nothing!"

Naruto sighed and said, "Fine. If your that confident, then who am I to say no? We do have one C-rank available."

Iruka wanted to protest, but knew it would fall on deaf ears. He sighed and searched through the mission papers until found the one he was looking for. "Let's see. Your mission is to escort Miss Hitomi to Oashisu Town where she will meet with an old friend and help with the preparations of the Desert Flower Festival that is to take place in about a week. You are to remain there, assisting if necessary, until the festival is over, after which you will escort her back to the Leaf."

"Whoohoo!" shouted Torine. "We get to go on a trip outside the village!"

"A-are you sure about th-this, Torine?" asked Daichi nervously.

Toine wrap an arm around Daichi shoulder, causing him to blush. "Aw, quit being such a worry wort! We'll be fine! You'll see!"

"Um, o-okay. If you s-say so."

Ichigo shrugged. "Beats chasing around a runaway cat all day."

Just then a young woman with long black hair styled, blue eyes, wearing a white sleeveless top and a brown shin-length skirt walked in. "Hello," she said. "Is this the team that'll be escorting me?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Looks like it."

The woman then took a good look at the genin with curiosity. "I didn't expect them to be so young."

Konohamaru smiled. "They may be rookies, but you got my word, they are a talented bunch."

The woman walked up to the trio and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Hitomi."

"My name is Torine Hyuuga!"

"Um, I'm D-Daichi Uchiha."

"Ichigo Tenshou."

"And I'm their sensei, Konohamaru Sarutobi. As long as I'm around you've got nothing to worry about."

_Just don't let it get to your head,_ thought Naruto.

"Thank you, sir." said Hitomi, "I am grateful to you and your team for accepting my request."

"Okay then." said Konohamaru. "Team 1! You've got one hour to pack up. The essentials are food, water, tents, tools, the works. Pack for a three-day trip. We'll resupply at Oashisu Town when it's time to return. Is that understood?"

"Yes Kono-sensei!" The team said in unison as they stormed out. Each of them went to their respective homes.

* * *

Torine excitedly rushed through Hyuuga compound. She wasn't looking where she was going and around a corner she bump into someone, causing her to fall on her butt. She looked at the person she bump into and saw one of the Hyuuga elders, still standing upright and glaring at her.

"Oh," She instantly stood up and bowed to him. "I'm sorry Mister Sousuke! I wasn't looking where I was going."

Out of the all those pompous bastards of Elders, Sousuke Hyuuga was the most troublesome. He never liked Hiashi ever since he was heir to the clan, believing he was unfit for the role. The two had a bitter rivalry. They always argued and got into fights, which Hiashi always won, although half of the time it was Hizashi who fought for the heir instead, something Sousuke hated even more. The gentle nature of Hiashi's wife, Hikari, always disgusted him, which extended toward Hinata due to being a spitting image of her(and her supposed weakness as a child didn't help her case).

Souske was baffled when Hinata was made Clan Head. He tried to sway her to the Hyuuga's old, selfish traditions to no avail. He's usually the one to bring up Hinata's supposed flaws to which some of the elders agree with. But the now elder Hiashi is always the one to defend his daughter, often using the argument that Sousuke's targeting Hinata merely out of a personal grudge against the family. However, the bastard's accusations got worse when Hinata got pregnant and refused to tell them who the father is, leading the Elders to call Torine an illegitimate heir. However, the vast majority of the Hyuuga Clan disagree with Sousuke's views and there are a few elders who side with Hiashi, thus making it difficult for Sousuke. It took a while, but the accursed Caged Bird Seal was successful abolished, much to his displeasure.

Needless to say, the family doesn't like Sousuke, and Hiashi has a suspicion that he's trying to use their supposed flaws to gain more power for his own family. But without proof, he can't make that accusation. Also the bastard never misses an opportunity to insult Torine. Speaking of which...

"Do not think you can butter me up with you're false politeness, you filth," Sousuke said coldly. As he walked pass the girl he said, "Honestly, how did we end up with an overly energetic nutcase for an heir?"

Torine looked angrily at Sousuke as he walked way. Her inner anger she was holding in ranted, _GRRRR...WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH HIM!? WON'T HE EVEN ACCEPT AN APOLOGY?! WHY DOES HE HATE ME SO?! WHAT'S HE GOT AGAINST ME ANYWAY!? OOOOOHHH...IF HE WASN'T A CLAN ELDER, I'D PUMMEL THE HELL OUT OF HIM!_ She wanted to rant out loud, but she was taught when she could and when she shouldn't. Instead she just pulled down her left eyelid while sticking her tongue out.

She continued her course until she reached the Main House, where she zipped passed her mother and into her room.

"Hey, Torine. What's the rush?" asked Hinata.

"Papa just gave my team a new mission, Mom," Torine said as she grabbed a few small storage scrolls and a few extra packs of kunai and shuriken. "A C-rank escort mission outside the village."

"A C-rank?" the Hyuuga Head was surprised. "I didn't think you'd be given one this soon."

"Well, I kinda begged for it," Torine laughed nervously as she began sealing the kunai and shuriken packs into the first scroll. "That and Kono-sensei agreed that D-ranks are beneath us."

Hinata sighed at her daughters impatience, but she admired her bravery and boldness, something she didn't have at her age. "So how long will you be gone?"

"Well, we were told to pack for a three-day trip." said Torine. "There's a festival going on in Oashisu Town where we're going in about a week and we're suppose to stay until it's over." After she finished sealing her weapons into one scroll, she grabbed a tent kit and a couple extra sets of clothed, and started sealing them into a second scroll. "So with any luck, I'll be back by my birthday."

"I see," Hinata said. She was worried for her daughter. She knew the risks of a mission outside the village. _But if Naruto is confident she could handle it, who am I to object_. "Well, I hope you have fun. This should be a good experience for you."

Torine giggled as she took the two scrolls and a third and dashed to the kitchen. She took ten cups of instant ramen, five cinnamon buns, three apples, a loaf of bread, and three bottles of water. As she began seal her food, a visitor walked in.

It was Haishi. "I see you're packing up," he said.

"Oh, Grandpa Hiashi!" the heiress said. "I got an escort mission today."

"Already?"

"Yup! I'm going on a real mission this time! I'm so excited just might explode."

"Do not take escort missions lightly, Granddaughter. You never know what could happen."

"I know. Papa already warned me about that." Torine said "But don't worry, I got Daichi, Ichigo, and Kono-sensei with me. I'll be fine. Don't worry."

The elder sighed. "Well, as long as you listen to your sensei."

After Torine finished packing, she gave her Grandpa a hug, then given bigger hug to her mother.

"Please be safe, Tori." Hinata said.

"I will, Mom!" said Tori as she dashed out the door.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hiashi asked his daughter. "Sending her on a C-rank this soon?"

"I'm worried, too." Hinata answered. Then she smiled. "But let's not forget whose daughter she is."

Hiashi then smirked. "Indeed. With her father's incredible stamina, as well as our Byakugan, I foresee she will become an excellent kunoichi."

"You're right."

* * *

When the one hour was up, the trio arrived at the gate, where Konohamaru and Hitomi awaited.

"Hey, where are all your supplies?" asked Konohamaru. The trio then each pulled out one of their scrolls. "Ah! So you three already know how to use storage scroll, huh?"

Torine giggled. "You can thank Ichigo for that."

"I figured it was a good idea to show them how to do it this after my father showed me this year," said Ichigo.

"I see," said Konohamaru. "Well that's convenient. One less thing to teach you three."

The trio then took note of the blanket-covered wagon. "What's that?" asked Daichi.

"I was requested to bring a few supplies for the Desert Flower Festival." answered Hitomi. "Boxes of extra tools, decorations, and extra clothes for me, including the outfit I'll be wearing to the Festival."

"Okay!" said the Sarutobi. "Here's the deal. At the pace we'll be going it's gonna take approximately two to three days to get to our destination, Oashisu Town, at the edge the Land of Wind. Here's how we're gonna travel. I'll be helping the client carry the cargo. You three will guard the two of us in a triangle formation, one in front, two behind at the four and eight o'clock positions. You'll be alternating positions after each break. For the first round, I want Torine in front, Daichi at four o'clock, and Ichigo at eight. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Good! Now then, take your positions!" The genin did as instructed. Konohamaru grabbed the handle of the wagon, while Hitomi walked behind the wagon ready to push it. "Okay, Team 1! Let's move out!"

* * *

The group set out on their journey. It was a long and tiring walk. They took a fifteen minute break every three hours until night began to fall, when they decided to call it a night.

They set up camp and settled in their tents. They also took turns for night guard duty. That night, Daichi was out taking bathroom break. Before he could reenter his tent, he spotting Torine up on top of the tree. It was her shift for the night, but she didn't seem focused on the guarding. Instead she was just staring at the half-moon, looking as if something was on her mind. Daichi ran up the tree onto the branch Tori was on.

"Y-you okay, Torine?" he asked.

The girl snapped out of her stupor and looked at her teammate. "Oh, hey Daichi." she said in a depressing tone.

"What wrong? Y-you seem awfully distracted tonight."

"Oh. I'm just having one of those nights, I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Torine paused and thought for a minute. Then she shook her head. "Forget it. It's nothing."

Daichi felt bad that she wasn't telling him what was bothering her. He want to help her if he could. "Tori, w-we been best friends for a long time. R-right?" Torine nodded. "Th-then, y-you can tell me anything, right?"

Torine sighed as she looked back at the moon. "Have you ever had any nights where you hear a strange voice from nowhere in particular?"

Daichi was confused at the question. "N-no. Not that I recall, anyway."

"That's what I thought."

"Tori?"

"As far back as I can remember, I've been having nights like that once or twice a month. I hear a voice that I'm not familiar with. I can't make out the words, but the voice itself...it sounds sad. It sounds like...it's in pain. I don't know where it's coming from, or why I even hear it to begin with. And for some reason, when I look at the moon, it gets slighty louder. Too bad it doesn't make it clearer though."

"Y-you know, it could be just your imagination."

"That's what I thought at first. But no matter how many times I tell myself that, it keeps coming back. I never told anyone about this before, not even my parents. At first I just thought everyone had nights like this. But every time I hear that it, I feel this weird feeling...like I know this voice somehow. But I can't put my finger on it. What's more is just a few years ago this voice started to sound worse than before. Recently I've able to make out a few words: 'Please, help me!'" The Hyuuga heiress then looked down. "Daichi...I just can't shake this feeling...that someone somewhere is in a very deep pain. A pain it wants to escape from. And it's calling me for help. But I don't know where it is, what kind of pain it's in, or why it's calling me of all people. I just...don't know."

Daichi was at a loss for words at what he just heard. He felt very concerned for his best friend. This was the first time he has seen her like this. "I...I don't know what to say. I...I wish I could help."

"When I told Kono-sensei that I had no particular goal in mind, I lied. I do have one. I wish to find out what this voice is, where it's coming from, and what it wants from me. I'm hoping someday...I'll find the answers."

Daichi turned his head away. "Well, whatever this voice is, or where it takes you, remember that...I'll always be by your side. I'll help you however way I can. "

Torine looked at her friend and gave him a big hug, causing him to blush yet again. "Thank you, Daichi," she said. "I'm glad to have a friend like you."

"Hey!" called a voice from below. The duo looked down and saw Ichigo leaning on the base of the tree. "What am I? Chopped liver?"

"I-Ichigo?" asked Daichi. "H-how long have you been down there?"

"Long enough," the kenjutsu specialist answered as he smirked. "You think I'm gonna let you two handle with this without me? What kind of teammate would I be?"

The Hyuuga giggled. "Thanks Ichigo."

Ichigo nodded. "Anyway, I'm here to relieve you. Your guard shift is over. You two should get some sleep. We've got another long walk ahead of us. Torine and Daichi nodded as they jumped off the tree and headed into their tents. Ichigo then ran up the tree and began to look out, but not before glancing at Torine as she entered her tent. He thought to himself, _I wonder..._

Unbeknownst to any of them Konohamaru was awake in his tent and had heard every word they said._  
_

* * *

**A/N: Ahh, nothing like a sense of foreboding to set the mood of what's to come in the future.**

**As always, please review, some advice might help, and I'm open to suggestions.**


	7. Desert Rogues

**A/N: Shout out.**

**UltimateUnknown: Thanks for the complement. I don't know if I'm really getting better, I could've been just lucky that time. Well, I hope I'll get that lucky in future chapters. I guess we'll see just how much I really do improve in time.**

* * *

**Desert Rogues**

* * *

Team 1 continued their journey to Oashisu Town. They got though the first two days without any trouble. By noon on the third day they reached the border to the Land of Wind.

"Well, our destination is only 5 hours away," said Konohamaru. "We'll take another quick break here."

Everyone sat down. Daichi and Ichigo were drinking from water bottles, Kono-sensei was eating an apple, and Torine was munching on a cinnamon bun. Their client Hitomi was massaging her sore legs. "My legs are killing me," she said. "I didn't think pushing these supplies so far was gonna be so strenuous."

"Well it's a good thing I was helping you with that," said the sensei, "or else they would've ached a lot sooner."

Torine then spoke. "So, tell us about this Desert Flower Festival."

"It's an old tradition in town from long ago," Hitomi explain. "Oashisu stands in the desert, roughly 10 miles from the edge. Thankfully it's in a region with harder soil and not the just the soft sand. As the name suggests, it is built at an oasis and a large one at that. Do you know how rare it is to find a flower anywhere else in the desert. But at this time of year, various types of flower magically bloom at that very oasis. No one knows how. Legend has it, that the spring has special powers. They've tried to plant other things like fruits and vegetables near that spring. And would you believe they actually grew? It's like that spring is capable of growing anything regardless of what conditions they normally grow in. They've come to call it the Spring of Fertility."

"Wow," said Daichi. "Sounds amazing."

"Back in the day, seeing any flower in the desert was a real treat. So seeing a place that grows so many different kinds of plants was an even bigger treat. When they built the town at the oasis, they decided to do a festival once a year in honor of such a floral sight. As time passed, they've been adding more and more to the event, so despite how ancient it is or how the flower aspect of it has become less popular nowadays, the people of Oashisu Town still enjoy the festival so much that it'd be a crime to break that old tradition."

"I love traditions that everyone can enjoy," said Torine. "Much better than those traditions that only the pompous higher-ups like."

"My friend, Namine, moved to Oashisu Town to study the spring and the flowers that grow in it," Hitomi continued. "She was soon inspired into bea floral designer, and now she's in charge of the Festival preparations this year. She's a little stressed right now, and she asked for my assistance."

"And that's why we're here," said Konohamaru. "Protecting the client from any muggers." He then stood up. "Now then, it's about time we continued our quest."

Hitomi was still massaging her legs. Torine saw this and an idea popped into her head. "If your legs are still aching, I can take over for you while you sit on the wagon."

"Really?" Hitomi asked confused. "You sure you can handle something like this."

The young kunoichi giggled as she formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, three copies of herself appeared in front of her. "My clones will help Kono-sensei carry the wagon. You can just sit back and relax, Miss Hitomi!"

Hitomi was awestruck by what the girl just performed. The clones grabbed onto the client and lead to the wagon, where she sat her down. The three clones then positioned themselves behind the wagon to push.

The Sarutobi then grinned at his students antics as he walked back to the front of the wagon to pull. "Alright, Team 1! Let's move forward!"

"Yes sir!" shouted the real Torine as she and her clones saluted with excitement.

Daichi and Ichigo, however, were exhausted from the long trip, though the latter was better at hiding it. Daichi sighed as he said, "Where does she get that energy?"

"Probably from her father," answered Ichigo. "I hear in his youth of the things he was known for was his...incredible stamina. Some believed it was thanks to the Nine-Tails, but that was only half true. In actually it was pretty much in his blood. I've read that one of the things Uzumaki are known for their strong life force, giving them great longevity and vitality, also large chakra reserves, which is how he and Torine are able to pull off the Shadow Clone Jutsu so easily with hardly any drawbacks. One could argue that that strong life force is a form of Bloodline."

Daichi sighed again. "This is gonna be a long five hours."

_But it's more than just her Uzumaki heritage,_ thought Ichigo. _She also has her Hyuuga heritage, the Byakugan and great charkra control._ He then smirked. _If only they knew what she __is truly capable of thanks to _her combined heritage.

* * *

It was indeed a long five hours for them. They had walked and walked until they finally found a settlement within view. They could see a tall beige wall surrounded by palm trees. From within the wall a single tower stuck out.

"Finally," said Kono-sensei wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Not much farther now. We'll take one last break, then we'll finish the journey."

"Man, I'm tired and sweaty," said Daichi. "Not to mention scorched as hell."

"What did you expected?" asked Ichigo. "We're in a desert after all."

"Tell me something Kono-sensei, is this how all escort missions are like?" the Uchiha asked.

"For the most part, yes." answered the sensei.

"How do you deal with this kind of work?"

Konohamaru smirked. "Easy. You get use to it. One of the reasons why you three are out here: experience. A ninja must always be prepared for any mission. And the conditions are not always pleasant. It takes experience to get the hang of something over time."

"If you don't mind Sensei," said Torine "I'd like to take a closer look."

"Sure. Just don't go out too far."

"Won't need to." Tori stood up and and only walked a few feet away from them. She then formed a hand sign and shouted. "**Byakugan!**" And her bloodline activated.

"What she doing?" asked a confused Hitomi.

The Sarutobi answered. "She has special eyes called the Byakugan, otherwise known as the All-Seeing White Eyes. When activated, she has a nearly three-sixty degree vision, can see from far away, and see through objects. Very few things are invisible to those eyes."

The Uzumaki-Hyuuga took a good look at the settlement. "Hm. Those walls look pretty big and sturdy; good protection from sandstorms. A beautiful looking tower; must be a great view from up there. Hm? Are those Ninja around the top of the walls?"

"Ninja?" said Hitomi. "I don't recall them ever hiring ninja for the Festival preparations. they don't like to bother the Sand Village with something as trivial as this."

"Well, it looks like there on guard duty; some are even guarding the gate. Let me take a closer look. Hm. They're not wearing any uniforms. Their forehead protectors have the Sand Village symbol and..." Tori stopped abruptly as she seemed to tense up a bit.

"What's up?" asked Konohamaru noticing her sudden concern.

"Unless my eyes are deceiving me, and they never do, I think I see slash marks running across their headbands," the kunoichi said.

Daichi tensed up. "S-s-slash marks? D-d-doesn't a slash on a f-f-forehead protector usually m-m-mean..."

"Rogue ninja," Ichigo finished with narrowed eyes.

"R-r-r-rogue n-n-ninja?" asked a frightened Hitomi. "You mean those bad ninja who betrayed their village?"

Konohamaru got serious. "What the hell are rogues doing in a peaceful town like Oashisu!"

"I-I-I don't know!" Hitomi stammered. "They don't have anything they could want!"

Ichigo activated his Kurosugan to check to see if she was hiding something. But it only confirmed that she was indeed as oblivious as they are to the situation.

"They don't look like they're gonna let anyone in so easily," said Torine.

Konohamaru crossed his arms in thought. "Something fishy is going here. Whatever this is, I don't like it."

"Isn't this beyond our mission parameters?" asked Daichi.

"Not necessarily," answered Ichigo. "Our mission is to escort Hitomi to Oashisu Town. If anyone is in the way, our job is to bust through them, right?"

"Right," answered Konohamaru. "And we're supposed to stay until the Festival is over anyway. So, it's not out of our hands to help with whatever the problem is. The thing is we were expecting mere bandits, not rogue ninja. If we had known about this, we would've sent a team of high chuunin at least, not one jounin and three fresh genin. This is exactly what the Hokage was worried about when he assigned this mission to us."

"S-so what do we do?" asked Daichi.

"Well, we know very little about what we're up against. We don't know how many there are, how strong they are, or even why they're here in the first place." Kono then smirked. "For all we know, they could be nothing a high jounin like myself can't handle. I can handle myself." His smirked faded. "It's you three I'm worried about. You may have talent, but we still don't no how well you can handle a situation like this."

"Well, we'll never know unless we try," said Torine, surprising the others. "I mean, we were already warned about this kind of situation, but that didn't stop us from taking this mission. I'm certainly not willing to back down, especially not after coming this far."

"Besides," added Ichigo, "the three of us weren't just screwing around at the academy like most students were. There's a reason we all graduated at the top of our class." Ichigo smirked. "I'd say this is the perfect opportunity to test how well all our hard work pays off."

Daichi was the only one of the genin who was nervous. But he put on the bravest face he could and nodded.

The Sarutobi thought for a minute. _Their grades were indeed very promising, I hear they trained their butts off together in their spare time even before graduation, and they did better on the Bell Test than I expected. This is indeed the perfect chance to test their limits._ He them smirked. "Alright then, I'll give you a chance prove how hard you've been working, but if things get hairy, I'll be ordering a strategic retreat, as I gave my word to Lord Hokage that I'd bring you back in one piece. Understood?" The trio nodded in response. "Now then first things first. it's best not to charge in blindly." He bit his thumb causing it to bleed slightly, form a few hand signs, and slammed his palm on the ground. "**Summoning Justu!**" He shouted as a puff of smoke appeared where he slapped. When the dust settled, a brown monkey half the size as the genin appeared. This monkey wore forest camoflage suit, a small black cape on its back, dark grey straps on its hands and feet, and a purple face mask. Strapped to his waist was a tantou blade.

"This better be good," the monkey said in a deep mysterious tone.

"Oh my god!" shouted a startled Hitomi, "A talking monkey!"

"Okay, Sarukossori," said the Jonin. "We need to finish an escort mission to that town over there. But, we just found out that it appears to be occupied by Rogue Sand Ninja. You are the fastest and sneakiest monkey in the Goku Jungle. I need you to sneak in there and do a little recon. I want you to find out as much as you can about this situation and report in within the next half hour. Think you can do that?"

"Can I do that?" said Sarukossori sarcastically. "Look who you're talking to. Just let me switch to my desert disguise." He formed a sign and in a puff of smoke, his entire color scheme, body and clothes alike, changed to one the matches the scenery. "Alright. I'll be right back." He than dashed to the town with swiftly and discreetly, spinning around to create a small sand twister as cover.

"And now we wait," said Konohamaru.

"Is he gonna be alright?" asked Hitomi.

"He'll be fine. Sarukossori is the best stealth expert I know. I've been visiting the Goku Jungle for ten years, and he still manages to sneak up on me. I tell you for a monkey he's more like a combination of a snake and a chameleon. I can count on him for any recon task."

* * *

They wait a half hour for the monkey to return. And right on schedule the monkey did the sand twister trick back to the group, making Hitomi cough for a second.

"Well?" asked Konohamaru.

"The townsfolk are in great fear, practically hiding in their homes." Sarukossori began. "But it appears the grand major of the enemies are not as big a threat as you'd think."

"How so?"

"Most of them don't even have the chakra levels of a genin. I think those forehead protectors are just for show."

"So they're just bandits wearing counterfeit headbands?"

"More like mercenaries. And not all of them. I detected three individuals who are definitely ninja. Two of them are mid-chuunin level, the third is high-jounin. I suspect they're the leaders of the bunch."

The jounin sensei crossed his arms. "Well, it lowers the threat level a little. I'm sure we can handle a bunch of mooks without much difficulty. It's those three that are the real issues. Have you found out what they're doing here?"

"There are two things I heard," the stealth monkey continued. "Apparently they're looking for something buried somewhere at that oasis. Did you know that that place has unusually high levels of nature energy? I tell you, the abundance of nature energy at that place is just...well...not _natural_."

"Nature energy?" asked Hitomi.

"It's just what sounds like." Kono answered. "It's an energy that is naturally given off by all living things, ninjas who can utilize this energy into their chakra at will, or 'senjutsu' if you will, are called Sages." He then thought for a second and asked, "Could this high abundance in nature energy explain the Spring of Fertility I've heard about? How so many different kinds of plants can grow in this single place?"

Sarukossori thought for a second. "It's possible. The energy seems to be flowing through the water and soil into the plants. I'm not sure what the source of it is, but it does seem to be coming from somewhere within the spring. It's possible this source is what they're after, but I don't know for sure. There's more, however. Once they find whatever they're looking for, they're planning to attack the Hidden Sand."

Ichigo was a bit puzzled. "Two chuunin, one jounin, and a bunch of bandits couldn't possibly do significant damage to shinobi village," he said.

"My thoughts exactly." said Konohamaru.

"So what are they really planning?" asked Daichi.

"I don't know, but personally I don't wanna give them the chance," said Torine.

"I agree," said the Sarutobi. He then closed his in thought. After a few minutes he smirked as he turned to his students. "Okay Team 1! New mission objective. We are gonna take this town back from those mercenaries. Where gonna go in there, halt their activities, take out those bandits, and, most importantly, capture the rogue ninja. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Kono-Sensei!"

"Good. Now, huddle up!" The three genin, the client, and the monkey gathered around him. "Okay. We need to do this quickly and decisively if we want to succeed. So...here's the plan." He begins drawing on in the sand.

* * *

**A/N: ****This one is just merely a build up chapter, but don't worry there will be more action in the next one. I don't know for sure if nature energy mixed with water could help plants grow, but hey, I wanted the Desert Flower Festival to mean something.**


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